Our Choice
by Miss Nanami-chan
Summary: "Hey, Yuu?" he whispered. I hummed, turning to my side to look at him. His eyes weren't on me, focused on the stars above us. "Do you think I can be a Hero?" "Yes." I answered without hesitation. He looked at me, viridian green eyes full of stardust. "Really?" I smiled, intertwining our fingers. "I believe it with all my heart." A set of stories, looking for a happier ending. OC-SI
1. Prologue

**My Hero Academia! Fan Fiction!**

**Drama! Romance! Mystery! Tragedy! Just-About-Everything!**

**_(Title)_**

**"Our Choice"**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'My Hero Academia' or any of the characters! **

**WARNING! RATED M! There can be no Warning for what's about to come.**

* * *

**Prologue**

_"I do love nothing in the world so much as you..." -William Shakespeare_

* * *

There are over 7,500,000,000 human beings and counting that live on this little blue planet we call home. 80% of the world's population these days have special abilities called _Quirks _and 20% of the population are known as _Quirkless_. That's 1,500,000,000 human beings that are considered _less than_. Who are considered as unequal to the other 6,000,000,000.

I once read somewhere that there is a zero percent chance to randomly meet someone. That hadn't made any sense to me back then. I met random people all of the time, every single day. It was only until I was a lot older that I was able to understand what that meant. There is no _chance_ of meeting that one someone you're meant to love for the rest of ever and ever.

It's always been a _choice_.

* * *

—_Our choice_—

* * *

"Ne, ne, Yuutan!"

"Mnn. What Zu?"

"Whadd'ya wanna play?"

"Dunno. You pick."

"Let's play Hero!"

"No."

"Ah! Why not!?"

"Haah... we just did that, Zu! I wanna do something else. We can play Hero again tomorrow."

"...o'tay, Yuutan."

His head would hang down, his curls brushing against my shoulder. I always took another sip of my juice box. Then, emerald-green eyes would widen and a freckled face snapped up to look at me in excitement. A gap-toothed grin spreading across his face.

"Oh! I know what we can do!"

I hummed in question, my ears flickering towards him.

"Let's get marrwied!"

I choked on the apple juice.

* * *

—_It always began that way for us.  
Each and every time we began... it was together_—

* * *

My fingers would wring my tail as my four-year-old mind thought back to what my Mother had taught me about the institution of Marriage. How it only ever turned loving people into strangers and love into an empty contractual obligation to drive two people apart to seek affection and carnal comfort from others.

—_My Mother was great, wasn't she?  
It wasn't entirely her fault for thinking that way though.  
She had never experienced a true and pure love in her life_—

—_Not like ours, when we chose it_—

"D-Dummy! Why would yah wanna do that!?" I squeak, suddenly afraid of losing my dearest and only friend to the bogeymen called '_Infidelity_' and '_Midlife crisis._' Not that I had fully understood what those words meant yet, but my Mother had had a very serious look on her face when she said them, so they must have been be bad!

—_How innocent I was_—

Bright green eyes had just blinked cluelessly at the me, then he tilted his head and smiled again. Brighter and kinder than anything.

"Cause that's what best friends do!"

I was baffled at his new and seemingly unsound logic. I dropped my tail and immediately protested, my ears instinctively flattening against my skull as I did.

"What? No they don't!"

He nodded vigorously, his curls bouncing up and down with the exaggerated movement. "Yeah-huh! Mom told me so! She says that even though Dad is faraway, she knows that he'll come back 'cause he pwomised! She says that mwarriage is a pwomise to always care about the other person—no matter what, for the rest of ever!"

I was always struck speechless by that. My face burning brighter as my ears flattened against my scalp. Mrs. Midoriya was a smart woman, my own Mother had said so on many occasions and instructed me to listen to her and learn how to be a proper and good woman. So I would find myself in a pickle. If marriage _wasn't _an empty obligation, but instead a promise to remain by the other person's side for the rest of ever? A promise to always know that there was someone who cared? Who would care for the rest of ever?

—_Really. What else was I supposed to say to that?_—

The wedding was held the next day under the monkey bars.

* * *

—_My sweetest memories. If only they lasted longer_—

* * *

My cheeks wouldn't stop burning as I held my best friend's hand under the yellow monkey bars. The day was so warm already without a single cloud in the sky. My heart and tummy felt really weird, like I had just eaten a bunch of feathers and they were tickling me inside.

It was a happy, exciting and a scary feeling all at once.

He looks at me with those big green eyes and a big smile that bunched up his freckles, kicking up those feathers even more. He pulled out a metal band that he'd gotten out of the candy machine, placing it in the center of my palm. I bite my lip and take a stuttering breath, exhaling shakily before I held out my ring. It was a ring I'd taken from my Mother's jewelry box, a small plain thing that she didn't have any interest in.

Then he would recite his vows the way his Mom had taught him to, I would follow right after him.

"I, Mi-do-ri-ya Izuku, pwomise to always and always stay with Yuutan and to never make you cry and make you laugh when you are sad."

"I-I, Yasushi Yumiko... promise to make sure you're happy and always listen to you and tell you everything and to never ever stop l-loving you, Izu."

When I finished his grin widened as he giggled and leaned forward, nuzzling his nose against mine. It wasn't a kiss, but it was something so much better than that. Something that made my heart dance and butterflies to flutter in my stomach.

After the wedding we head to his apartment to have dinner as I often did when my Mother had to work late. When we told Izuku's Mom the news she had gushed about how adorable we were and welcomed me to the family. Izuku's ring had slipped off at one point during the evening and he freaked out, bursting into tears and apologizing profusely until we found it again. It was still too big for him to wear so his Mom ended up putting it on a chain for him to wear as a necklace. He would swear never to take it off.

The weekend after that, we had our honeymoon playing on the swings and having a picnic with both our Mother's at the park. It was a nice day until, predictably, Katsuki ended up crashing it and we fought.

* * *

—_No matter how many times it happened... this was how we always began. Together.  
Even though our choices set on us different paths, we always found each other again_—

—_Still, I could never have imagined that our choices would've led us here_—

* * *

**{ Ω }**

The fluorescent lights passing above were a dull, pale light that hurt my eyes. The sound of my heels clicking against the tile was the only sound in the otherwise silent hall as I made my way further into the steel-plated maze. Checkpoint after checkpoint, I allowed myself to be searched and scanned before moving onto the next one until I'd reached my destination.

The same cold, empty room greeted me as it had hundreds of times before. The same metal chair placed in front of a glass window sat exactly where I'd left it after last time. On the other side of the glass, he sat in a chair of his own as he stared at nothing, waiting patiently. The sensors on his temples fed data to the monitors, creating the steady pinging of his heartrate on the screen. He was back into a new and tighter straightjacket that was secured to the chair, but it was the bandages wrapped around his throat drew my attention more than anything.

I felt like throwing up in that moment.

Instead, I took a breath to compose myself and sat down in the chair opposite of him. My expression was void of all emotion as I signaled at the camera that I was ready. I watched his gaze focus as the one-way mirror lifted and he saw me, his eyes widening. The sound of his heartrate monitor picking up along with the look of relief that spread across his face made me sick to my stomach.

"Hi, Yuutan. You look really pretty today." he whispered.

His voice was hoarse and broken from what had to be the damage. There were dark bags under his eyes, telling me that he hasn't slept since the sedatives wore off. His skin was paler than should've been healthy, and he looked so thin that I thought he might snap in two with a simple touch. I wonder if he was eating anything, or if he was still refusing unless I was here to eat with him?

"You can't keep doing this." I told him.

"It's the only way to get you to come visit me anymore, Yuutan."

My skin crawled.

He smiled affectionately.

"I've _missed_ _you._"

His green eyes were just as brilliant as they always were... even if they were wrapped in a glossy haze of hysteria now. My heart twisted and fluttered the way it always did at his words, followed by a sickening feeling of revulsion towards myself.

I grit my teeth together, my words escaping in a low hiss. "You _cannot_ keep doing this, Izuku. If you actually gave a damn about me, then you'd leave me _alone_!"

"But I love you, Yuutan, and you love me. That's what we promised." he looks at me with those eyes and that adoring smile, as if we were still children. "For the rest of ever, right?"

"This is the last time." I say, voice stronger than I felt. "I won't come here anymore. I _won't_."

The smile fell off his face then.

"How's Kacchan been these days?" he asked suddenly, causing a spike of panic in my chest.

The chair clattered on the ground behind me as I stood up, a snarl on my lips. He didn't even blink as the guns lowered from the roof and sighted in on him. Izuku just carefully watched me with those same green eyes that haunt my sleep.

_Fuck_. I let him get under my skin again.

"_CopyCat, step away from the glass. Now._" a voice ordered from the speakers.

I turned my back to the window sharply, putting much-needed space between us. It was not long after I started pacing the room to clear my head did he start speaking to me again, his voice fervent and straining with pain.

"You... don't have anyone else, right Yuutan?"

_Why did I come here? Why do I always come when he calls?_

"Not Kacchan or Todoroki-kun, right? No other guy?"

_It's the same thing every time. He hasn't changed and he never will. _

"_I'm_ still your number one, right Yuutan?"

_There's no hope. My Izuku has been gone for years now._

He stretched his neck, his voice desperate now. "Have you forgotten what happened to the last guy who tried to take my place in your heart, Yuutan? Have you forgotten about Al—"

"_Don't_ say his name!" I screamed, balling my hands into fists as my eyes burned. I turned back around to face him. "Don't you _dare_ pretend that you did that because of me! What you did you did because _you_ were angry with him! All because he didn't _fucking choose you_! YOU KILLED HIM BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO!"

My chest heaved, gasping for air that my lungs couldn't hold onto.

_Why did I let him do this to me?_

Izuku relaxed back into his chair, having my full attention once more.

"Yuutan is right as usual," he sighed, smiling adoringly at me again.

I stilled, watching with dread as that once-kind smile I loved became warped with _madness_.

He giggled.

"I killed All Might because I wanted to."

* * *

**Prologue**

**END**


	2. Delphi 1-Orpheus 684-Orpheus 1-

**My Hero Academia! Fan Fiction!**

**Drama! Romance! Mystery! Tragedy! Just-About-Everything!**

**(Title)**

**"****Our Choice****"**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'My Hero Academia' or any of the characters! **

**WARNING! RATED M! Good luck all.**

* * *

**Delphi 1/Orpheus 684/Orpheus 1**

_"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." -Forrest Gump_

* * *

**Entry 1, Delphi Journal ****Φ**  
**—**_**"Common Denominators"**_**—**

Let's start with the bare bones basics, shall we? My name is Yasushi Yumiko, but most everyone just calls me Yuu.

I like naps, eating spicy foods, watching documentaries and not doing any physical activities in general. I am also of the opinion that I am extremely average-looking, with my short black hair and equally black eyes and pale skin. There was nothing about my appearance that stood out as particularly remarkable. And as long as I dressed modestly and kept my head covered, I could fade away in the crowds that bustle through the larger districts of Japan without anyone's notice. When I didn't... Well, perhaps I should backpedal a bit and explain a few things about my mother.

My Mother is Yasushi Kimiko. She is better known by her performer name: _Nekoki_. She is what is called a _courtesan_, in her line of business. Born with a Mutant-type quirk that gives her a somewhat feline-like appearance and attributes with extreme flexibility, she's a... popular choice among her clientele. But that wasn't the point. Naturally, as her Quirk was a Mutant classification, the physical alterations to her DNA would also be passed onto any offspring that she would bear. Said offspring being none other than your girl here. Can you guess what I'm getting at yet?

I was born with cat ears and a tail. And despite what one might think due to popular opinion, having these feline qualities were not all they were hyped up to be. The minor things like the extra-sharp pointed nails, extended and equally sharp canines—the whiskers, the goddamned _whiskers_—were manageable with religious and extensive grooming. Really, it was the tail and ears that bothered me the most because there was absolutely nothing I could do to them. The tail was always getting in the way of everything and the _ears_... the ears were so sensitive it was not even funny. I would honestly have rather been born as an average, non-cat girl like so many other people. They don't have to worry about hearing unsavory noises with their over-sensitive hearing or sitting on the annoyingly mobile appendage. Or, in some cases, someone _grabbing_ their tails which is sadly an occurrence that happens too often.

_(There was a chibi face drawn in the corner of a napping dark-haired girl without any feline qualities. She looked happy)_

It's not like I even shared _some _likeness to my Mother for there to be genetically predisposed point to it. Where she had long, straight, _perfect _blonde hair and minty green eyes, I had messy short black waves of yarn that I called hair and eyes so dark you couldn't even see my pupil. Even our personalities were polar opposites. If not for the obvious feline attributes we shared, one might think we were completely unrelated. For example: My dear Mother's reaction to my announcement of monogamy at the tender age of four and-a-half was well and truly priceless. She had dropped the expensive-looking flute of champagne and startled the business man she had been advising on how to better please his wife, then she had told me to get an annulment for the marriage and when Izuku and I were both older she would sit us down to discuss all the benefits of a mature coexistence without the trappings of Marriage and Monogamy. I had denied _vehemently_, of course. I then informed her that I was already planning on having eleven kids with Izuku—six boys and five girls—and that we would all live at his Hero Agency when he became a Pro Hero!

The grown-ass woman then held an argument with a little kid who was every iota as stubborn as herself and then some. We wouldn't come to an agreement that day or any other day she brought it up. I swear, she is the only Mother in the world that _didn't_ want to marry her daughter off to a nice boy like Izuku.

_(In the corner of the page were the names Yumiko Midoriya and Izuku Yasushi written in different combinations and several different styles with ratings next to them)_

On the other side of the spectrum, my Father and his family history was a big fat unknown. I never met the man in person. Presumably he was one of my Mother's customers that she has told me she would fail to be able to pick out in a line-up, leaving it up in the air. All we know is that he was pretty and talked smooth enough to end up in my Mother's bed. That was all I knew about my 'Father'. Well, technically that wasn't true. He was _almost _unknown. We are pretty sure I inherited his Quirk. Though, it wasn't until I was seven-years-old that we actually discovered what my Quirk really was.

It had been an average fall afternoon, breezy and only a bit nippy outside. Izuku and I both were bundled up with scarfs as we walked to school together with his mother escorting us. It happened while I was animatedly reenacting a scene from a Hero News report I'd watched the night before. It should be important to note here that I was not an athletic child by any means. I _despised_ running or sports of any sort. I'd much rather spend my time napping under the shade of a nice tree. Therefore, I should not have been physically capable of running up the side of a wall, back-flipping off of it and arcing my body to land perfectly onto the very top of the bus sign like I'd been doing gymnastics all of my life. But that was exactly what I did. _Just like_ the Hero on the news did the night before.

Izuku had stopped gaping at me in stunned wonder after I'd lost my balance and fell all the way to the ground—_not_ landing on my feet, mind you. Izuku and Inko had been the ones to take me to the doctor, foregoing school that day to treat the sprained wrist and ankle I earned from my fall. They had sat with me while I had my quirk re-examined. I was grateful to them both, for Inko's calming reassurances and for how tightly Izuku had held my hand during the entire process. I had never been so confused and scared by what happened to me, and he had given me more strength than I think he ever realized.

By the end of the day and when my Mother finally showed up to the hospital, no longer did I have a Mutant-type Quirk as we had all assumed. We discovered that day my Quirk was, as officially titled: _Perfect Recall_.

Perfect Recall. Such an underwhelming name, honestly. It gave someone the impression that I had an Eidetic or Photographic memory, which wasn't quite accurate. To explain it properly... I only needed to look at something to be able to Recall it, recite it or even recreate it simply by memory. I can watch an artist paint a picture and then recreate the exact product, down to the direction of the brushstroke. Music: I can recite Beethoven from memory, each and every rise and fall of a composition. Martial arts: I knew and could learn with proficiency. Languages were easy and one of my favorite. Any skill or knowledge could be stored in my head and Recalled at any time for my convenience.

Sounds useful, right?

Well, you'd be surprised how wrong you were. So, even though I know all of these skills, my body lacked the _physical education_ required for most of it. Yeah, I knew how to efficiently break a concrete block and also smash my hand painfully in the process. In reality, I still had no muscle to follow up on it. _Memory _memory isn't muscle memory. The same with general knowledge. Just because I memorized it doesn't mean that I _understand_ it. Not unless I applied myself and trained my body and mind to actually make use of my Quirk.

Now in everyday life my Quirk has its ups and it's downs like everybody's. The general rule of my Quirk was that I remembered everything, and I mean_ everything_. Every good and bad experience was just as fresh as the moment it happened when I Recall it. And it wasn't always by conscious choice either. Sometimes a memory could be triggered by a certain sight or sound—even a smell could have me experiencing a vivid flashback of an moment in my life in perfect detail.

Then there was the unexpected side-effect of my Perfect Recall.

For as long as I've had my Quirk, I've had these... experiences of things and events that _didn't _happen. Or alternatively, things that hadn't happened _yet_. Usually I experienced these memories while I was asleep, but not always. My Mother used to think they were just dreams and the psychologists my Mother later took me to all just dismissed them as products of an overexcited imagination. For the longest time during my childhood I just thought I was defective or something, for dreaming of impossible things or just remembering them _wrong_.

No one except Izuku had believed me.

_(A crude doodle of a curly-haired boy surrounded by little hearts was drawn in the margins)_

Izuku and I later found out the proper name of this funny little ability was called: '_Retrocognition_'—It's pretty weird if I'm being honest and I don't fully understand it myself yet, but that's why I've started this journal! I plan to write everything I see in them and try to figure it out! Izuku was the one to give me the idea one day when I was doing a portrait of Kamui Woods for his _Hero Analysis for the Future_, so I could keep track of these memories and maybe we could make sense of them together!

Ever since we started attending U.A. together it feels like I've been having these memories more and more lately. Some of them are strange, like the ones where I'm helping Izuku build gadgets for crimefighting and neither of us are attending U.A. or—and this one is just _creepy_—I'm _friends _with _Katsuki_! KATSUKI! We hate each other's guts! There's no way in Hell we could EVER be friends! Besides those crazy ones, there are some that are... some of them are scary_. _Like, _really _scary.

Once, I dreamt of a day where I attended _All Might's funeral_.

It had been raining and cold, but there were a lot of people that I recognized, both famous Heroes and some teachers from U.A. and there were more faces I didn't know, yet they seemed to know _me_! No matter which way I think about it, couldn't possibly be real or something that I could've dreamed up! Because... well... _All Might was still alive!_

* * *

**{ ****Φ**** }**

* * *

I hummed happily, my tail carelessly swaying behind me as I took slow and deliberate bites of my Matcha Ice Cream, savoring every moment of this treat. Even licking at the spot that dripped onto my t-shirt, leaving nothing to be wasted. Meanwhile back in the non-Ice creamed world I was desperately pretending that I was anywhere else than here right now. I pictured myself in a nice, secluded park where I could take a nice long nap after I'd finished eating—With Izu there with me, of course, but _anywhere _else. Some place where I didn't have to sit on this cushioned bench and have my _Koala-Tea _graphic shirt be wrongfully judged or have nametag-less, _perfumed cronies try to take my favorite yellow hoodie_! At least I had the forethought to stuff these in my bag this morning so I didn't have to sit here in my uniform instead. Who knows what they would've had to say about _that_.

The sound of over-priced stiletto heels clicking against marble tile alerted me to the threat of an oncoming ballistic Mother. I gave a short sigh as I took another bite of ice cream, watching as _The Flock _approached.

Man, I hated mandatory Mother-Daughter shopping sprees.

"Yumiko~" my Mother crooned, strutting up to me with her arms full of ridiculously glittery and figure-flattering dresses. Behind her were some of the younger girls from the Companion's Agency, each of them carrying their own articles of clothing as they toddled after my Mother like the loyal little minions they were. I looked on blandly as my Mother pulled a black sequined cocktail dress from her stack and looked at me with wide, minty eyes filled with excitement. "Look at this dress, Yumi-chan! Don't you think this'll make you look amazing at a nice party? You'll be the center of attention!" she cooed, _The Flock_ chirping their own agreements.

I said nothing as I took another deliberate bite ice cream, relishing in the way some of _The Flock _looked on in dietary-restricted envy.

Mother's excitement deflated at my lack of reaction, causing her to pout her pretty glossed lips. She moved closer, fluttering her eyes slipping on a smile that would have had any of her clients caving into her demands within a heartbeat. "You'll be starting High School soon enough, y'know! Just think of all the cute boys you'll meet! You'll wanna make a good impression, right?" she entreated with that honeyed voice that would've sealed the deal... if she were talking to anyone else, that is.

Wordlessly, I lifted my hand and flashed my wedding ring. The cheap plastic mold of All Might's iconic symbol glared back at her, reminding her that I was already promised to another.

Predictably, Mother huffed '_cutely_' and whined that I wasn't as invested in our bonding experience as she was. The Flock chastised me half-heartedly, mostly pouting at me and drooling over my ice cream. What followed from my Diva of a Mother was a minor rant about my taste in clothing, jewelry, _boys _and ice creams before declaring that she'd find me a '_proper_' ring to wear before throwing all the dresses in the growing pile beside me and running off to the jewelry department, causing _The Flock _to do the same before trying to click after her without breaking a heel. I shook my head and wrapped my tail around my waist as a straggler from The Flock dropped off a box of shoes beside me before trotting back to the group.

I hated the madness of mandatory Mother-Daughter shopping sprees and the humiliation that came with it, yeah. But the fancy ice cream she always bribed me with is just too _good _to turn down. It's my own gluttonous nature that brings me to this point every second Friday of the month. I knew this and accepted my failing. I took another bite of the creamy salvation, closing my eyes in bliss as it melted on my tongue.

Public humiliation had never tasted so heavenly before.

To pass the time I looked around whatever fancily-named, overpriced store she dragged me to this time. There were ridiculously tight clothing over there, some revealing clothing over there, uncomfortable-looking shoes against the wall, a section of overpriced accessories next to the jewelry displays where my Mother was currently charming the clerks as she tried on a number of different pieces. All of it looked perfect on her, unsurprisingly. I swear, that woman is more magpie than cat most days. My eyes drifted out the storefront window and—

Kacchan's face was everywhere.

I stopped, tongue out halfway to eat another bite of ice cream, as I realized that _Kacchan's dumbass face _was on every screen across the street. I stared at the mega-screen with a news bulletin running across the bottom, talking about how he had bravely withstood a Villain attack until All Might arrived on the scene to save the day.

The ice cream slipped off the spoon and splat against the fancy tiles.

I stood up without thinking, walking closer to the window so I could watch as they rolled footage of the scorched remains of what used to be the Tatooin Shopping District. I could see debris and broken windows, civilians being treated by paramedics. The screen changed to All Might as he thanked the efforts of the Heroes that secured the scene before he arrived, and the brave police officers that had maintained a perimeter while the Villain was detained and the hostage was rescued. Behind him where the Heroes like Death Arms and Kamui Woods, and there, sitting on the burnt ground beside them was the unmistakable scowl of Kacchan and—_My stomach dropped through the floor_—the camera saw it for only a tenth of a second, but my eyes spotted blurry glimpse curly dark-green hair. _Beside. Kacchan._

The rest of my ice cream hadn't hit the fancy tiles before I was running out of the doors of the department store.

_It might not have been him,_ _There are plenty of people in the world with hair like that. It could've been anyone there with Kacchan, it didn't have to be him! _I reasoned to myself as I sprinted down the street, ignoring the feeling in my gut that told me I was in denial. But I knew even without having to weigh the statistics that the chance of there being _another _person with curly green hair that just _happened _to get involved with an incident involving a villain attack and _Kacchan_...

There was really only _one _boy it could've been.

I _Recalled _the train schedule from this morning—_a still image of the flipboard layered over my vision. Dozens of names were listed, my eyes ran through them until spotted __**Katonika to Musutafu **__boarding at __**4:15pm**_—and looked at the time on my phone as I dialed Izuku's number. It was 4: 13pm and I was in the middle of Kantonika's shopping district but if I were to kick it into gear and catch the 4:15 train—_I made a sharp turn towards the train station, taking a shortcut through a park_—then I'd be able to make it back to Musutafu within the hour! I shoved my hood off my head and directed my ears to my cell as it connected.

"_Uhmm, Hello! T-This is Midoriya Izuku! Sorry if I, uh, can't get to the phone right now, but_—" I hissed and redialed, getting the same recording when I did. So he wasn't answering his phone, that wasn't very reassuring but that didn't mean he was _hurt_. The news didn't say that anyone was seriously hurt, so there's no reason to think that Izuku had been hurt when it looked like Kacchan made it out alright, _right_? Right! Still, my heart was sitting in my throat the entire train ride to Musutafu as I tried calling his cell another seventeen times and leaving six texts telling him to call me. Hell, I even tried calling Kacchan—_who actually answered his phone_—and we got into an argument because he's a _dumbass _that got himself caught by a villain and I didn't get any information on whether or not Izuku was _okay_ before the asshole hung up on me!

After I got off the train I didn't bother with a taxi as I deduced that I could cut off time by taking the shortcuts a vehicle couldn't fit through. I couldn't push the irrational worries from my mind as I vaulted over backyard fences and ran through trash-filled alleys. There was no evidence that Izuku had been hurt or even involved with the villain incident at all, besides simply _being there_, and there was no confirmation he even was there in the first place! It was completely a irrational and unfounded worry, but I couldn't shake it as that irrational fear pushed me to run as fast as my legs would take me.

_Whenever it came to Izuku, it's like my brain and my heart never agreed on anything. _

His apartment building finally came into view and my lungs were burning and I was sweating profusely. I hated sweating so much. I made it up to the third floor end apartment, my fingers were trembling as I fumbled for my key and unlocked the door. I didn't even stop to take off my boots before I ran into the apartment and turned to the first room in the hall, stopping in the doorway as I gasped raggedly for breath. My heart seemed to tie itself into knots over what I saw.

Izuku jumped in fright when I came in, green eyes widening when he saw me. He was standing in the middle of his room, his school jacket hanging half-off his arms as it looked like he was changing out of his uniform. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly for a moment as he looked in confusion and shock at my no-doubt disheveled and sweaty appearance.

"Yuu—" I leapt at him.

He shouted in surprise as we tumbled to the floor together, my arms wrapping around his neck as his fingers bunched up into my hoodie instinctively. He was already trying to pull me off of him after regaining his bearings but froze up when I buried my face into his neck, breathing in his scent. I smelt the traces of his tea-tree infused shampoo, a pungent odor that stank like a scummy pond, an unfamiliar men's aftershave that made me want to sneeze, the acrid scent of smoke and ash, and the scent that stood out among the others—_Burnt sugar_.

I tightened my arms around him.

_He really was there._

"_Mhy middin't mhew anwehr wour wohne_?!" I shouted into his shoulder. He made a strangled noise of confusion and I pushed myself up to glare at him, ignoring how my vision had started to swim at some point and my voice began trembling. "I saw you with Kacchan on the news, you freckled doofus! I came as soon as I saw and I tried calling you _over and over _on the way but you wouldn't _answer your stupid phone_, and even though the report didn't say there were any serious injuries, I just—I was so worried that you might've been HURT!"

His jaw fell open, eyes wide as he stared up at me in shock. I scowled and ducked my head down, balling my fists and digging my nails into the palms to try and get them to stop shaking so much. How stupid was that? How _stupid _was I to be reacting like this. Izuku was completely unharmed just as I had reasoned, yet I was still so... so...

I hiccupped.

"I-I'm sorry!" he blurted, sitting up and grabbing my hands and taking them into his own. "That's—I-I lost my phone, or I swear I would've answered your calls! I'm not sure when it happened but I think it might've fallen out of my backpack after I threw it at the villain—" I made a choked noise and he waved his hands frantically, tripping over his words as he tried to make sure I didn't start bawling. "But I'm completely fine! Look! No cuts or bruises or anything! It was Kacchan who was in danger! And well, I suppose I was in danger before that because—_OH MY GOD, YUU_!"

His hands gripped my shoulders, surprising me, and my heart skipped a couple beats as a grin overtook his entire face and his emerald eyes seemed to _shine_.

"I met _All Might_!" he whispered joyfully, voice full of awe as if he still couldn't believe it. "...and he said... he said _I could be a_ _Hero_."

I blinked and stared at Izuku, a bit taken aback by his dazzling look of overwhelming joy as he began to ramble in his way about meeting and actually speaking his idol. He started in the middle of the story, referenced the end but left it vague as he stammered around All Might, purposely skipping over some parts about the beginning where I was 98.02% that he had encountered the Sludge villain once before charging into the Tatooin Shopping District for Kacchan—and a there was also a huge chunk that was missing about how he got to point A to point B—but I honestly couldn't care less because of how _happy _he was!

It feels like it's been so long since I've seen him like this... it was like something straight out of a _dream_. His happiness was my happiness. I couldn't contain myself any longer than that, I threw my arms around his neck and he yelped.

"_GYA_! _Y-Y-Yuu_! W-What are you—" he shouted again, louder and squeakier when I started plastering kisses on his freckled cheeks and mumbled incoherently about how _happy _I was that he was happy!

We fell backwards again, with me landing atop him as I held his rapidly heating face in my hands and I nuzzled my cheek against his. He continued to plead for his release and I reigned in my affection enough to sit up, now comfortably seated on his stomach with my legs on either side of his torso. I couldn't help but smile adoringly as Izuku tried to cover his vibrantly red face with his arms in attempt to shield himself from further kisses. Unfortunately for him, this action drew my attention to the bandages and the light red hue of his forearms, likely caused by first-degree burns.

I knew what I had to do next, fingers already working on the buttons of his shirt.

Mrs. Midoriya poked her head through the doorway, saw me straddled atop her son and in the midst of removing his shirt. She blinked once. "Oh, Yuu-chan! Are you staying for dinner, dear? I'm making curry tonight!" she offered with a warm smile.

"I'd love to if it's okay with you, Mrs. Midoriya!" I answered over my shoulder. "But could you do me a favor and call my Mother to let her know I'm here? I kind of ditched her at the store when I saw the news report, so she might think I was kidnapped or something."

Izuku shrieked girlishly as I tore open his shirt, hands flying off his face to cover his exposed chest.

"Oh, dear!" Mrs. Midoriya gasped, eyes wide. "I should go call Mitsuki-chan too and ask how Kacchan is doing!" she declared before running to the kitchen. She called out again as I finished pulling away Izu's shirt. "—And Yuu-chan? Be gentle with Izuku, okay? He's still recovering from the last time you teased him too much!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" I called back dutifully. _Haah_. I loved Mrs. Midoriya... she understood I was harmless and only had the best intentions. I only wished my dear husband would trust me half as much as she did. It would certainly make things easier for the both of us.

I grabbed Izuku's wrists and easily pinned them beside his head, making him squeak in surprise. His eyes were threatening to come out of his head at this point, and his skin was now flushed down to his chest where his wedding ring sat faithfully around a chain. I let out a soft sigh when I saw it, my earlier affection and relief came back in a flood.

"Y-Y-Y-YUU! WE'RE—_WE'RE STILL TOO YOUNG TO BE DOING THIS_!" he blurted, blushing madly. He struggled fruitlessly to free himself from my grasp, staring up at me with those green eyes filled with a mix of panic and mortification. I let out another soft sigh, this one more resigned than the last.

I don't understand how my dear Izuku could be so _brilliant _and yet be so completely _dense _at the same time. It was cute, but so tiring most days.

"Izu, my husband, my love, my _dearest friend_—" I spoke soothingly, unable to help the touch of exasperation in my voice. I leaned down closer to his face until our noses were inches apart, watching his eyes become glossy with a sheen of reflexive tears. "I've already told you a _hundred _times now—When I claim you as my partner, it will be when we are of age and with your _explicit consent_. So you don't have to fear for your honor every time I go to hold your hand..."

He looked flabbergasted, sputtering even though his shoulders relaxed somewhat. "Th-This can _hardly _be considered _ho-holding_—"

I moved both his wrists above his head to hold down with one hand, keeping him in place as I began to run my fingers down his ribcage to look for any markings that could indicate an injury. He couldn't hold in the giggle that burst from his lips as I did, blushing even brighter as he continued to giggle while I performed my examination.

"Y-Yuu—_Ehehehe_! Stop-stop it! _Ehe_—Yuu, that! That _tickles_!" he struggled to say, breathless with a wobbly smile that had my traitorous, excited little heart fluttering in my chest. I was trying to remain stern, darn it! I can't stay stern whenever he smiles at me like that! This is so hard...

"Stop squirming so I can check you for any internal injuries that the paramedics might've missed, alright? Do you have any idea how many people suffer from internal hemorrhaging without realizing? The statistics are insane! Did you know that someone could lose more than 30% of their blood volume before there are changes in their vital signs or level of consciousness?!" I ranted, giving him a trying-to-be-stern look that told him just how serious I was.

His adam's apple bobbed in nervousness and I scolded myself for how my cheeks warmed at the sight and his current state of undress, which I conceded was mostly my fault. I didn't begin to think about how I was still straddling his waist. I didn't look at how his curly hair was in such cute disarray around his face, or notice how his hands raised above his head had extenuated his exposed chest and the unbuttoned shirt hanging onto his arms looked a little too—_I bit my lip and looked up_—I _definitely _didn't notice his flushed cheeks and how his lips were parted slightly as he panted for breath, still trying to recover from his giggling fit. _Haah_... My tail began to sway behind me and I smiled, fingers tapping lightly against his skin.

Izuku's smile was wobbly in a worried way now.

"...Yuu?" he asked tentatively, that earlier panic returning to his emerald eyes.

I blinked, realizing how hot my face had gotten as I was totally staring at him like he was a hot plate of—_F-Focus, Yuu_! I gave my face a light slap before pressed my cheek against his bare chest and turned my ears to listen carefully to the reassuring beating of his heart. I should really stop letting my thoughts run away like that.

"Now be quiet and take a deep breath so I hear your respiratory system!"

* * *

—_These memories... they all start to overlap in some places. It's getting harder to keep them straight_—

* * *

**Video Entry 684, Orpheus Journal ****Ω**  
**—**_**"A Different Path"**_**—**

_(The video begins with Yuu sitting in front of the camera, sitting alone at a table in her apartment. Her skin was pale with dark rings around her eyes as she stared off. She runs a hand through her short hair and takes a drag of a cigarette, exhaling for a long moment afterward)_

"I think I've finally, ah... remembered what caused the Prime Divergence. After all these years," _she began, looking tired and frail. _"Like some sort of sick twist of Fate with a dash of Irony, the cause of it was just as I had always suspected it was. It didn't come as a surprise, really, but the confirmation of it was still a blow that left me lying in bed for half the day. It took several hours and a couple of brightly colored pills before I could drag myself out of my self-pity to document my latest revelation."

_(She let out a hollow laugh, smiling bitterly as she finally turned to face the camera)_

"After all these years, I've finally confirmed that it was _my fault_."

_(Yuu's free hand typed a few keys on the board, bringing up a number of documents on the side of the screen. Each categorized with different letters from the Greek Alphabet. She sighed, looking over the documents with hazy eyes before creating a new one with the letter __Φ__)_

"In the life I've now officially labeled as: _Phi_, the Sludge Villain Incident happened drastically different than the version we experienced." _she rubbed her temples, closing her eyes as she thought. _"I've surmised that in Phi, my relationship with my Mother was more strained than my one here and that led to more time spent with her and her troupe which resulted in the event that..."

_(She stopped, pressing her knuckles to her mouth. The cigarette slowly turned to ash in her other hand as Yuu struggled with the words for several minutes, eventually choking them out with a voice thick with emotion)_

"If the Recall of Phi is to believed, then eleven years ago on April 16th, following the Sludge Villain Incident, _Izuku_ had been the one chosen to become All Might's successor."

* * *

**{ ****Ω**** }**

* * *

_Don't cry!_

_Don't cry_, I reminded myself again as I pushed my legs to run faster. _You aren't one of those girls that cry over little things like chipped nails and near-death experiences._

I sniffled, a pressure building behind my eyes.

Ah, shit.

My heart pounded against my ribcage, air came in my mouth in short gasps and I sprinted as fast as my legs could take me. I ran down another block, following the last direction I'd seen them heading—_I am not freaking out. I am not_—My lungs were burning and _shit_, I wish I did more cardio. I hate running so much. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it—_Ten minutes ago I thought we were done for. Where did that Villain even come from!?_—Another block, vaulting over a bench and scaring the hell out of the old ladies feeding the pigeons—_I thought we were going to die_—They went out of sight a couple blocks away before it looked like they descended again around the Kuat building complexes—_If All Might hadn't shown up then we'd... we would be..._

I still can't believe that Izuku had grabbed onto All Might's leg.

I have Perfect Recall and I was struggling to figure out what just happened. One minute Izuku and I were walking to his house and I was ranting about what that idiot Katsuki had done to Izu's _Hero Analysis_ while he tried to brush off the whole thing, and the next minute my head had been _slammed _against the wall—The memory layered over my vision unwillingly and I was back in the tunnel—

I _Recalled_—

_My eyes had been unfocused and I struggled to my feet, hands clawing up the tunnel wall as a __**putrid **__scent filled my nose_—I pressed my hand to my mouth as I nearly gagged at the vivid _Recall_ playing through my mind. I stopped running to lean heavily on the wall, breathing deeply to try calm myself as the memory played—_blood slid down my forehead and I watched through double-vision as Izuku was attacked by the living sludge, becoming enveloped in it. I stumbled over and began to claw uselessly at the liquid, panicking as Izuku struggled to breathe_—I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to stop the Recall, willing my mind to clear.

Something warm ran over my lips and I wiped the blood from my nose. That was one of the bad ones then. I was hyperventilating now, I realized belatedly. At least the memory receded and I could stop reliving my panic. I slowly pulled myself together, getting a handle back on my breathing. I ran my hand through my hair and hated how sweaty I was even though my fingers were ice cold. I pressed my fingers to pulse, checking it. It really wouldn't be helpful if I went into shock right now. I still had to catch up to wherever Izuku had flown off to after clinging to All Might's leg like a limpet. I wiped my sweaty hands on my skirt and continued running.

Turning the corner, I finally made it to the area I estimated they landed. It was a crowded street but my eyes darted from face to face for any sign of either my Husband or the Symbol of Peace. I quickly decided that I needed a better vantage point and ran over towards the nearby train depot, climbing the stairway two steps at a time until I was above the crowds and could even see the tops of some buildings. I almost couldn't believe my luck when I spotted cherished viridian curls just one rooftop away! He was right there!

The soaring relief I felt was belied somewhat by the apparent _lack _of All Might on the roof with my fanboy husband, instead there was a frail old man speaking to him. Well, whatever. All Might must've already left to turn in that Villain that attacked us and Izuku was just being interrogated by a very confused tenant or something. Ahh, I wish I could've gotten another chance to see All Might in person again but I was just thankful that he stopped by to save our lives. I almost forgot, Izu got his _Hero Analysis_ autographed too! Knowing him, he'll probably have it laminated and framed above his bed. The thought made me sigh much too fondly.

I turned on my heel with a skip in my step to head over to the building Izuku was when explosion went off the in distance, causing the structure to tremble beneath my feet. I grabbed onto the railing and looked out towards the direction of the sound and I saw the cloud of smoke that billowed up towards the sky. I heard the sounds of car alarms blaring a blocks away and I frowned. Could it be another Villain attacking? Crime really was relentless. Gauging it's distance from where I was—_I Recalled a __**Map **__I'd seen once on a school trip when I was ten, the nearby __**geographic layout **__displayed before me_—that direction was the Tatooin Shopping District.

Damn. I hope no one got hurt.

I climbed back down to the street-level where I could hear people murmuring in speculation about the attack a couple blocks over, wondering what it could be this time. Making my way through them, I felt a grin split my face as I finally laid eyes on my best friend just a little ways away from me now, only for any happy feeling I had to disappear the moment I saw his expression. I'd only seen it for a second before my vision was obscured by pedestrians again but I recognized that expression as clear as day.

Why the hell did it look like he was about to _cry_?

Izuku had just met _All Might_, his all-time favorite Hero and _Idol_—He should be singing and dancing about meeting the man in the flesh! Even if All Might did have to leave on short-notice, Izuku would be a little disappointed but he'd understand why! He would still be over the moon for any amount of time he'd gotten with his Idol! There shouldn't be any reason for him to look so depressed.

"Izuku! _Izuku_!" I called as I navigated through the crowd, but he didn't seem to hear me as he continued walking like a zombie. I lost all sight of him soon again, surrounded by strangers on every side. I spun around, looking for him without success. Growling under my breath in frustration before I caught a whiff of a _putrid _scent that made me want to gag. My eyes widened as I realized it was the same stench the Villain gave off! The one that Izuku was covered in! It was less of a plan than it was just moving on instinct that I began to follow the scent, bumping into more than a few people as I pushed my way through the crowd. I was exhausted and sweaty from the run here already but the images of Izuku's tearful expression kept me going. The scent grew stronger and I sprinted across the street and hooked around the corner and I was relieved to finally—

Slammed face first into someone's back.

"_Oofffph_!" I flailed as stars filled my vision, falling. A pair of large, _strong _hands gripped my shoulders. They kept me from landing on my ass as my hands instinctively grabbed my now-throbbing nose! _Ouch_! "What the hell—Did I hit a _wall_?!" I muttered, tentatively checking to see if it was broken.

"Ah! M-Miss, are you alright?" the owner of the hands asked. Looking over my fingers I met a pair of startling blue eyes set into a sunken and sharply gaunt face, frazzled blonde hair and... _Wait_! I know this guy!

"You're that guy! The one that Izuku was talking to on the roof!" I blurted out, taking a step back to look at him. There was no doubt! It was the old man from before. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he wiped his expression clear.

"I'm sorry Miss, but you must have mistaken me for someone else," he denied as he tried to turn and walk away. Cutting around in front of him, the hairs on my tail began to stand on end in agitation. I _know _that this was the same guy from before, he even has Izuku's scent on him! Why would he lie?

"Are you sure about that?" I pressed, getting in his way again when he tried to step around me. He looked increasingly flustered the more I badgered him. "Freckles on his cheeks, adorably curly hair, skittish and a bit on the scrawny side? He's hard to miss. Especially when, y'know, you're having a conversation with him on an empty rooftop."

His eyes darted to the side and he coughed roughly into his hand. Yikes. Sounds like one hell of a smoker's cough. His voice was placating. "Look, I really have to be somewhere, as for your friend I'm afraid I haven't seen him. I'm sorry I can't help—"

"That was a lie. I can tell that you're obviously lying without even mentioning the fact you _smell _like him." I interrupted, causing him to look at me with alarm this time. My eyes narrowed into slits as I took another step into his personal space. "Plus, I _saw _you talking to him before with my own two eyes. What did you two talk about—And seriously, don't bother trying to lie again. You really suck at it, dude."

He sighed impatiently and rubbed the back of his neck, dropping his act. "Listen kid, you're right, I had... seen him with All Might, okay? After All Might left, me and the kid got to talking, he had mentioned his ambition about becoming a Hero one day and I told him that he might try to be more realistic in his goals. That was it. Now if you could _please _move—"

My hand shot out.

Now, it might've been the adrenaline from watching my best friend nearly get killed by a Villain just an hour ago, or nearly getting my skull bashed in by said Villain and I was still nursing a minor concussion as a result, or maybe I was just _sick _of everyone saying this—but any of the above could easily explain what happened next.

Without any thinking on my part, my fist had wrapped itself into that walking corpse's baggy shirt and yanked his face down to my level to get an eyeful of my fanged snarl. "You told him _WHAT_!?" I hissed, enraged. "_Who the hell _do you think you are, you _jackass_! How the hell would _you _know whether or not someone's dreams are possible?! So what if Izuku doesn't have a Quirk!? That doesn't mean he can't be a Hero! Who the hell died and made you king?! You don't get to say something like he should be more realistic—that is such _bullshit_! What do you think would've happened if you went and told someone like _ALL MIGHT _that it wasn't '_realistic_' to jump into a burning factory and save ALL of the twenty-three employees left inside?! _Hah_!?"

All the corpse-man did was blink stupidly.

"O-Or that he should've _tempered his expectations _instead of searching the ocean off the coast of Okinawa for _two whole days _and finding that family of three that everyone thought had died in that bad storm a couple years ago!?" I demanded furiously. I'd started shaking him back and forth at some point while I yelled, causing the very bones under his skin to rattle by the sounds of it. He said nothing and only stared, slack-jawed, as I ranted. "That's not even mentioning all the other _impossible _things he's accomplished! Who gave _you _the right to say what is and is not possible in this world?! Heroes are _supposed _to be able to do the impossible, despite the odds that stack against them! That's why they're the Heroes! They are _inspirations_! Not because they're stronger, faster or even smarter than everyone else! They just have to make you feel like you're safe! That _everything was going to be alright!_"

My breaths were coming out short by the time I'd finished. I was sure my face was red and that there were people staring at us now but all my attention was focused on the blonde man in front of me. He didn't utter a word after everything I had to say. He didn't offer an excuse or an apology—nothing.

All he could do was look at me with those wide blue eyes.

I released his shirt and stepped away. "...that means that even a powerless nobody can be a Hero, too. So you can _shove _your realism." I spat bitterly, turning my back on the man. "I'm done wasting my breath on someone like _you_, I have to go find my friend."

My feet took me forward as I pushed my way through the crowd, not even caring about which direction as long as it was _away_. I was still fuming as I made it down the street and far, far away from that guy. What an _idiot_. But we both were idiots. Him, for being an unapologetic jackass and giving unsolicited career advice and _me _for losing my temper at him for it. He was far from the first person to say something like that about Izuku's dreams, and I didn't have a good excuse for tearing into him like that. No matter how much he might've deserved that reality check!

Hell, it was easy for anyone that didn't know him to think that Izuku had it in him to become a Hero. He didn't have a fancy Quirk that could help him fight or rescue, he also wasn't very muscular or strong, and he maybe cried a lot—but none of that mattered when it came down to it! I knew that Izuku was one of the bravest and kindest people in the world! That's why it never fails to piss me off when someone dismisses him so easily! He deserves better than that, damn it! He—

_**BOOOM!**_

Another explosion had gone off around the corner, louder and closer than earlier. I turned my head in alarm, ears lifted and aimed towards the direction. There was a plume of black smoke coming up from the direction of Tatooin Shopping District. Is it the same incident that was going on earlier? I don't get it, why hadn't the Heroes wrapped that up by now? It was taking them a longer time than usual. Was the situation really that serious? I mean, All Might was just around here so it should've been taken care of, right? Hey, WAIT! That's _IT!_ Maybe Izuku went to the closest crime scene/accident to look for All Might! Seeing All Might's heroics on the news always manage to cheer him up when he gets low! He wouldn't pass up another chance to see his idol twice in one day! There was a new urgency in my step as I made my way down the rest of the street towards the commotion.

I needed to find Izu as fast as I could. My friend needed me!

I arrived at the source of the incident and my eyes were greeted with the sight of flashing police cars with EMT's on the way, frantic onlookers huddled against the police perimeter, and the entire shopping district _ablaze_. Standing on my tip-toes, my eyes scanned the crowd for any sign of curly green hair and freckles. My heart sunk when I didn't immediately see him, but I held out hope he was on his way here. No sign of All Might either which was odd. I guess he could've been held up at the Police Station? From here I could see that Backdraft and another Hero were trying to contain the fires, while Kamui Woods was evacuating civilians out of the district. Curiously, I walked closer to see just what was causing all of this chaos and I felt frozen in place the moment I laid eyes on it.

At the center of the fires a large shifting mass of _putrid slime_.

I moved to the side of the crowd near a side of a building and clearly saw the Sludge Villain wreaking havoc all around him. A cold feeling of fear washed through me and my head began to hurt. That the villain from before, but... I thought All Might had caught him?! No, I _know _he did! So what, this was just another criminal with a similar Quirk? More importantly—why wasn't anyone stopping him?!

I reached forward and tapped the shoulder of the person in front of me. "Excuse me, but what's going on? Why haven't the Heroes stopped the Villain yet?"

The man shrugged helplessly. "They can't. The Villain caught a hostage before the Heroes showed and now they can't get close cause the kid has some sort of powerful Quirk."

A hostage?! I looked back and I could see that the Villain seemed to be struggling, just... just like when he tried to kill Izuku! I pressed my hand against my mouth in horror. It _really was_ the Sludge Villain that attacked us earlier! But that meant he got away from _All Might_! As I was reeling from this news, the people around me began to speak.

_"Wasn't that the villain that All Might was chasing after earlier?"_

_"All Might? No way! He's here?"_

_"I think I saw him earlier."_

_"Seriously?! Then what is All Might doing?"_

_"Where's All Might?"_

I clasped my hands together, pressing them to my chest as I breathlessly watched the hostage struggle desperately against the slimy bastard. That's right... All Might should be on his way now! He had just saved Izuku and me from that sludge so he should be coming any time! He'll recapture the villain again and save the hostage! All Might will come to save the day. I _know it_.

"...he'll come." I whispered.

_A Hero always comes when all seems lost, right? That's what they always do. _

A strong gust of air blasted out from the latest explosion at the center of the District, sending a shockwave of smoke and the choking scent of ash and—_Burnt sugar_.

My heart stopped.

That smell was...

My mouth parted and I breathed in the acrid air, taking in the odor of burning wreckage and the smell of fire suppressant but under it all was the unmistakable scent of burnt sugar? But that scent belonged to... my eyes landed on the Villain, another _explosion _firing off from it's hand. My fingers curled into a fist as the Villain struggled and through all the smoke and fires I could see a shock of ash-blonde hair at the center of it.

_Kacchan. _

That was _Kacchan_.

_The Slime Villain _had—

I _don't_—

_Katsuki _was—

My eyes stung from the heat and water welled up in my eyes.

I began looking frantically around for the Heroes trying to help him. Kamui Woods was still evacuating civilians on the far end of the shopping district, staying away from the fires and Kacchan's explosions. Backdraft was on the opposite side of the district trying to control the spread of the fires. Even Death Arms, Umpire and Hookshot were all keeping a distance because Kacchan kept firing off explosions. His explosions were probably the only reason why he hadn't suffocated yet it was why no one could even get close...

All of these heroes were here but no one was doing anything.

The air in my lungs left me as I realized what was going to happen.

Kacchan was going to die.

None of the Heroes were going to save him and Kacchan was going to _die_.

I hadn't even registered that I'd taken a step forward before a large hand wrapped around my upper arm, jerking me backwards abruptly. My head whipped around and I met the sunken eyes of the guy from before. What, did he _follow me_?

He leaned heavily on the wall next to us and coughed violently into his arm, leaving behind a trail of blood on his chin. "What do you think you're doing?!" the corpse-man snapped, fingers tightening around my arm as piercing blue eyes narrowed at me. "Listen, I can understand your frustration, but you _must _stay out of the way so the Heroes can—"

—_Kacchan was going to DIE_

I sunk my teeth into the side of his hand, my incisors digging into his flesh just enough to get him to let go of my arm in shock before I turned tail and bolted forwards. I heard a shout from him that was interrupted by a coughing fit as I stayed low and to the side of the crowd. No one but the guy had even taken their eyes off the Villain and Kacchan long enough to notice me slip by, not until it was too late and I was darting into one of the broken shops where the fires were mostly contained already.

_This wasn't a rational decision_, a little voice at the back of my mind decided to point out. I yanked the scarf from my uniform and covered my mouth to stop inhaling as much smoke from the burning buildings nearby. _I should leave this to the Heroes. I was acting off of an instinct fueled by adrenaline and fear. A messy combo that usually ends even more messily._

I really hope my tail doesn't catch fire.

Slowly moving through the wreckage I began thinking of a plan. There were three things that needed to be accomplished. _Firstmost_, I needed to get closer without drawing the attention of the Heroes or the Villain. Getting spotted by the Heroes would blow all element of surprise and the Villain would try to bust my head open. _Again_, right. Why was I doing this again?

_**BOOOM!**_—I dove to the ground and covered my head as debris and smoke blasted through the broken shop windows, sending heels and boots flying through the air. That exploding dumbass was still struggling strong, then. _Good_. At least his bullheadedness was finally good for something.

_Second_, I needed to find a distraction. Something to take up the Villain's attention as I went in for Kacchan.

I pushed myself into a crouch, there wasn't a second to waste as that Dumbass was slowly being suffocated with every second that ticked by. Stepping lightly, I made my way through the remains of the shoe store and out the back door. The smell of burning garbage cans made me want to puke but I held myself back and sprinted down the alley towards the shop closest to Kacchan and the Villain. I didn't have to worry about a locked door because there was a friggin' _hole _blasted into the side of the building. I checked for any fires that looked like they'd get out of hand and was kind of relieved to find there was only a couple of tiny fires by the display window in the front. I hopped over the debris and into the shop.

For _Thirds_, it was impossible to simply pull Kacchan from the sludge. I'd fail just like before when Izuku was trapped. So that meant I needed some way to remove the sludge, grab Kacchan, and then use outside force to pull the both of us from the Villain's grasp so we wouldn't get sucked right back in. For that I needed something to reel us back, or hold onto and pull at least. I needed—I stumbled as I nearly tripped over a _canoe_. What in the _hell_... I blinked, looking around.

I was in a camping store.

Yeah. I could use this.

I glanced out at Kacchan and measured the distance with my eyes, nodding to myself. I went straight towards the rope and grabbed the sturdiest and longest one on the shelf, ripping off the packaging. _This wasn't stealing_, I reminded myself. I was just going to borrow it for a little bit. Sweat rolled down my temple as my fingers looped and tied one end off around some rebar by the broken wall. I threw the rest over my shoulder. That was one of the items taken off the list! Now for—The ground _reverberated _in a earth-shaking way Kacchan wasn't capable of and I pressed myself against the wall, peering around to see what was causing it.

_Giant_. It was the rookie Mt. Lady but, ugh! Mt. Lady had arrived on the scene but she couldn't even fit her big ass in the shopping district! Are you kidding me?! I rolled my eyes and hiked up the rope higher. That was item three taken care of, now I needed something for one and two. Damn, I wish I had picked up my bag before I ran after Izuku! I squinted into the dark store against the firelight for something I could use, I—_**BOOOM! BOOM!**_—plastered myself even _closer _to the wall so I didn't get _my shit blown off_!

Damn you, Katsuki! Why do you always have to be such a pain in the ass?!

"**Stop struggling!**" a disgusting voice demanded. I froze, my heart thundering against my chest as I recognized it. "**The more you fight me, the more painful your death will be!**"

I bit down on my lip when I heard Kacchan's muffled scream.

_Hang on. Just a little longer, Katsuki!_

My search was near-frantic now as I looked over the shelves. Tablecloths. Rope. Duct Tape. Zip Lock Bags. Water Bottles. Snack Containers. Packing Supplies. No, no, no, NO! A goddamned _canoe _wasn't about to help! Was there _nothing_—Red, white lettering: '_Emergency_'—_I Recalled a lecture given to our class on Career Day. The fireman had taught us how to react accordingly in a emergency situation and how to responsibly use an Active Fire Protection Devic_e—I lunged forward and grabbed it from off the wall, grinning when I found smaller and more portable replacements stocked nearby for the most accident-prone campers!_ Thank you_, campfire safety people. Moving as fast as I could, I pulled out my pigtails and grabbed two of the small canisters and used my hair ties to secure the handle down before I tore off the hoses.

This would only give me a brief opening and I had just one shot do to this...

Heart pounding in my chest, I sucked in a deep breath as I pulled the pins and chucked them out the broken window. The fire extinguishers spun wildly through the air while discharging the nitrogen inside, creating a cloud of white that spectacularly obscured everyone's view. I was vaulting out of the shop front right after it. The Villain let out a curse in surprise that was followed by a shout as I pulled the pin of the extinguisher in my hands and aimed it at his face. The nitrogen reacted mercifully quick and the sludge that made up half of it's nasty face _froze_. The Villain slung blindly and I ducked to the side as his fish smashed into the cement beside me. I spun on my heel and turned the hose on his slimy arm, turning it mostly solid. Twisting my grip and swinging the canister down I took immense satisfaction in smashing it against the hardened sludge's hand, breaking it off of Kacchan's arm. The Villain howled in pain and the momentum of my swing carried me forward. I screamed in anger/fear/exhilaration as I chucked the canister on his face, returning the favor for earlier as the frozen side of his face cracked.

Kacchan gasped as the iced slime fell off, face and left arm freed—"_You_!?" he rasped, eyes wide with fury and confusion. He was _confuried_? Hah. Yah, I'm not high on adrenaline right now—I didn't stop moving. The fires around us were still burning and the hardened slime was quickly warming. There was only precious seconds before the cloud around us evaporated and I was seen by everyone.

I reached for Kacchan's hand.

"_Quick_! Give me your hand!" I shouted hurriedly, fingers outstretched.

His lips twisted in anger and my stomach dropped. "I d-didn't ask for any fucking help!" he shouted, voice ragged from his screaming. He used his free hand to begin trying to dig himself out of the sludge and I stifled a cry of pure frustration, my scarf falling off my face. This utter _dumbass _was going to act like this _NOW_?! I threw my end of the rope at his dumbass face and he caught it.

"Start pulling, dumbass!" I ordered as I shoved my arm into the slime shoulder-deep to reach for his other hand. What was I even doing here? This bastard didn't even want my help! My skin was crawling and I felt like throwing up, my head was pounding and Kacchan screamed at me to get lost anyway—My fingers brushed against his skin. Almost there! I almost—A memory of a sidewalk flashed in my eyes, layering over the smoke and the fire—

_I_ _Recalled how_ _Kacchan threw his head back and __**laughed **__like I just told him the funniest joke in the world. I ducked my head and punched his shoulder, looking anywhere but his stupidly smug face as I continued to walk down the sidewalk. Stupid bastard, laughing at me. I shouldn't even have bothered opening my mouth. Idiot. _

_"Wha-What did just you call me?!" he asked, still a bit breathless from laughing. He easily caught up to walk beside me and I pretended I didn't know the bastard. He was __**grinning **__crookedly as he spoke, lightly tugging on my ear to get me to look at him. "Come on! Say it again, I want to hear you call me your... what was it? Haah?"_

_I __**slapped **__his hand away with a fanged hiss and he started cackling again when he saw my face, my very, very hot face. I clicked my tongue and walked faster, leaving him behind to snigger all he liked. "I don't even know you! Don't talk to me." I snapped at him, causing him to laugh louder._

_I could still hear his __**dumbass **__laughter halfway down the street when I finally swallowed down the embarrassment and spun on my heel, shouting at him from a safe distance away where he wouldn't be able to make fun of my blushing face._

_"YOU'RE MY __**PARTNER**__, YOU ASSHOLE!"_—I gasped raggedly as the memories that didn't happen faded away again. My lungs burned. My eyes stung. My chest _ached_. My fingers found his wrist in the sludge.

I wrapped my hand around his and _pulled_.

"Are you giving up, you bastard?!" I don't know when I had started crying, but now I couldn't stop. My arms hurt. I hated physical activity and I've already been running so much after Izuku. Kacchan was such an asshole for getting taken hostage. I continued screaming at him and used the rope to try and leverage us out of the slime. "Are you really just gonna _die here_?! As a nothing but a-a _VICTIM_! A _LOSER_?!"

"YOU DAMN _KNOW-IT-ALL!_" he snarled at me. Kacchan's fingers dug into my arm and he finally, _finally _began pulling himself free. The exploding asshole glared furiously as he freed more of his upper body. I kept pulling on his arms as he used the rope. He was screaming at _me _now. "_SHUT YOUR FACE_, FLAT-CHEST! OR ELSE I'LL—I'LL—"

"PULL!_ HARDER!_ _DUMBASS_—" I grit out between all the exhaustion I felt. It was just a _little more_. He was almost out. There were shouts of alarm coming from behind us. The smokescreen had finally lifted, then? The Heroes and bystanders could see me and Death Arms did _not _sound happy. The Sludge Villain looked like he was rousing and I pulled on Kacchan's arms with everything I had. Tick tock goes the clock. He struggled through the slime but he got one foot out! He could nearly—

The rope _snapped_.

I choked on a scream as Kacchan was swallowed back in an instant, and me, too. I was still holding onto his hand. My eyes met Kacchan's as my blood chilled. I trying pulling him and clawing at the slime but it was _useless_. We were caught. Katsuki cursed and struggled wildly as the sludge enveloped his face again. My body froze, tears still falling down my face as a massive shadow reared over me.

The Villain _roared_.

"_**ANNOYING LITTLE BITCH**_!" he screamed furiously, narrowing two sickly yellow eyes at me. "**YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!**"

* * *

_A Hero is supposed to come in at the last moment, when all hope is lost..._

* * *

The Villain raised his fist over my head.

"**DIE!**"

* * *

_...right? _

* * *

The Heroes began running forward but they were all too far away to do anything. Katsuki let out a muffled scream, nails scratching and digging painfully into my wrist to get me to let go. I wouldn't. _I couldn't let him go_. I knew I wouldn't get him back if I let go. He set off an explosion but it had been aimed towards the sky by the Villain, in the opposite direction. Nobody could do anything to stop it.

I shut my eyes instead of looking up and I waited for what came next.

"_YUU_!" my heart leapt—_Izuku_?

* * *

_Everything would be alright now, why? Because..._

* * *

A large, _strong _hand wrapped around ours.

"I'm really pathetic, aren't I?" muttered a strange but familiar voice.

I opened my eyes, my breath catching in my throat.

* * *

_All Might was here. _

* * *

**Video Entry 1, Orpheus Journal ****Ω**  
**—**_**"Save Him"**_**—**

_(The video begins with an eighteen-year-old Yuu sitting in her first apartment. Her head was bandaged and her hair was longer, hanging just over her shoulders) _

"Okay, Yuu. This is the start." s_he murmured to herself as she pulled up an empty document and began typing into it, filling it with numerous dates and accounts of incidents. She continued to speak to the camera as her eyes darted back and forth on the screen. _"Get the facts down first. Sorting through it all can come later. Find the common thread that links them all together. People, places, events. Write them down and then find out where they branch off, find the main—the Prime Divergence in their paths. You can find out where it went wrong and _fix it_."

_(She looked like she hadn't given up yet)_

"You can _save him_."

* * *

**Delphi 1/Orpheus 684/Orpheus 1**

**END**

* * *

**A/N: _Herrro_~ Welcome to the first official chapter of the story after months of editing and planning and, yanno, dealing with a worldwide pandemic. That last one is kind of a bitch, huh? _Yeeesh_. Okay, I know that I didn't put an AN at the end of the first chapter like I usually do, but there was a purpose for that! One... that... I have totally forgotten since. Hm. Yah, I think it was because I didn't think I'd have another chapter out because I had half a fully formed idea and nothing else written**—**_Sorry_—but now here you have it! No answers to your previous questions and just a shit-ton more! :D**

**_Ahem_. Sorry? I feel like that word is losing it's potency about now. In other and slightly related news, I drew up two pictures for this fic that have little-to-no context yet! (**You can find them on my DeviantArt Page, under the name: _MissNanamiChan_**) But they should give you an idea of Yuu, both in the 'Omegaverse' and Vanilla Yuu, who is pretty much an 'OC thrown in canon'** **(**This has spiraled into so many different stories all in one I am trying not to lose my **m**I_nD_ writing this—**) and this overall fic could _technically_ be considered an SI, but only if you squint and stand on your head. Which, though not anatomically _im_possible, is still very theoretically possible! I do want to mention that I will NOT be posting chapters of this story half-assed. They will be full, huge effing _monsters_ like this. So while it probably won't be soon that the next chapter comes, I hope that this helps you get through your day or helps inspire you in some way. Something to help, I hope. **

**Okay, so before I disappear into the endless void of editing and routing around gaping plot holes**—**I just want to gush a bit about the support and excitement I got from just the first little prologue that just made me. _so. happy_. Seriously, I kept coming back to read the reviews to power through and write this monster of a convoluted chapter that I really really hope you guys at least _tolerated_ reading!**

**Keystone09 : _Oh my gosh, I kept your comments in mind while writing this out and hopefully to helped to relieve some worry about it? It won't be a clear-cut fic about Deku (_**Deku, my freckled best boy, my sweet love**_) just yanno, being evil and crap. There is reasoning behind how he ended up like in the prologue that I and my #1 confidant have discussed about at length! Pinky promise!_**

** ClosetCase :_ My dear and wonderful #1, you KNOW. You know you know and I know you know. we know. Thank you for all your help during the writing and conception of this. Thank you x100._**

**DannyPhantom619 :_ Danny! I laughed too hard reading that. I loved your terror of Yan-Deku too much._**

**Lady Liberty- The First : _I am so thankful for your love of the twist! I am excited to try and attempt to give more Villain!Deku in as realistic character destroying way possible. Why the idea started out as fun, getting to that point without making him OOC is soul-crushing. For both of us, I crush Deku's soul and it's crushing mine to hurt that sweet boy who deserves nothing but nuggles and affection... sigh...…._**

**KayEmWhy : _Ack. I know! Our sweet baby 'Zuku is headed for some dark waters (please refer to the response above for proper soul crushing emotions) BUTTTT! Though I will not promise a happy ending, I will promise more sweetness and love along the way. This is a twisted and confused path I've chosen for this story, but the best part is that it offers more than just ONE ending for the story of Yuu and Izuku. I hope you'll enjoy the ride._**

**'Kay, hell, I'm tired and jittery. I've had too much coffee and need to get more editing done to post other things now. Gosh! Okay, bye for now guys! I love you all and I hope that you're staying safe out there! Keep your head up! Everything passes with time, so all of the things happening out there will too!**

-_Nanami_


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